Several types and models of rolled product dispensers are currently available on the market, especially for dispensing rolled paper, including, without being limitative, dispensers for paper hand towels, similar to the ones found in public bathrooms. These dispensers are configured for dispensing a web of the rolled product to a user and for cutting the web of rolled product once a desired length has been dispensed. The desired length can either be predetermined or can be controlled by the user of the dispenser.
Several cutting mechanisms are known in the industry and can be included in a dispenser for cutting the rolled product. One of the most common cutting mechanisms is a fixed blade having a serrated edge against which the user can pull the web of rolled product to tear a desired length of rolled product.
Also known in the art are dispensers where a user pulls a free end of the rolled product and the rolled product is automatically cut after a predetermined length has been dispensed. These dispensers are known in the industry as “no-touch” or “touchless” dispensers. The cutting mechanism of such dispensers usually includes a rotating drum having a cutting blade pivotally mounted within the drum. The rolled product is superposed to at least a section of an outer surface of the drum. When a user pulls the free end of the rolled product, the web of rolled product is pulled over the drum and the drum is caused to rotate. The rotation of the drum engages a blade guiding assembly causing the cutting blade to extend through a slot formed on the drum, and thereby severs the rolled product. In different embodiments, the blade guiding assembly can be a cam system, a spring system, a rotatory support system, a crank assembly or a combination thereof.
Examples of such dispensers can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,684,751 to Kapiloff et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,609,449 to Granger, U.S. Pat. No. 6,591,727 to Purcell et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,553,879 to Morand, U.S. Pat. No. 7,168,602 to Broehl, U.S. Pat. No. 7,357,348 to Kananen, U.S. Pat. No. 6,363,825 to Hagleitner, U.S. Pat. No. 7,841,556 to Elliott et al., as well as published US application No. 2007/0010389 to Cutrona et al.
All the dispensers disclosed in the above-mentioned references use a single blade for severing the web of rolled product. A consequence of the above described configuration is that a high pressure is normally applied on the single blade during the severing of the rolled product, which can create problems with “tabbing”. Tabbing occurs when a piece of towel tears off the sheet when a user grasps and pulls the paper. It has been found that tabbing occurs when, for instance, the blade tries to cut the web of paper. Lowering the pressure applied on the blade can reduce tabbing problems.
In light of the above, there is presently a need for an improved rolled product dispenser which, by virtue of its design and components, would be able to overcome or at least minimize some of the above-discussed prior art problems.